SUN and MOON

[Hronica]

The orange-headed lad stammered in his response. Perhaps he found the pair of them awkward to talk to. It seemed as if the boy thought he was in some sort of trouble. Yulo watched as the boy's eyes exchanged glances between both him and Masuyo repeatedly. Perhaps he was just nervous meeting the pair of them? Today seemed as if it would be one big family reunion. Yulo was completely unaware that this place was actually inhabited by members of his own family. Maybe he was even more closely related to some of them even more than just sharing the last name. He did not know.

The awaited response finally came. It was another member of the family after all. Where were they all coming from? Had Yulo missed more of them inside? Yulo continued to watch the boy as his eyes moved from Masuyo back across to him, examining the Hidden Sand forehead protector he had placed on his left arm. He attempted to decipher any facial expression that the boy had from realising that Yulo was a ninja of the Sand, but failed doing so. He wondered if Masuyo had seen it yet, and whether or not he would feel discomforted by it.

With the destruction of their homeland, many shinobi of the Rain abandoned their home to join the cause of other hidden villages. However, Yulo was still was still aware of many Rain shinobi holding on to their allegiance to their past land even if they were living in other nations now.

An awkward silence dwindled over the trio after Shurin had introduced himself. Yulo looked across to Masuyo, and then back to Shurin. Yulo focused his eyes as he planned on asking Masuyo some questions concerning the family. However that idea was soon interrupted by a rather loud voice from outside the doors of the compound. It seemed Masuyo had locked the doors upon entry and no more visitors could get in. What was it now? More distant family members? This was going to be a family reunion after all.

Yulo decided to take it upon himself to investigate. He paced to the door casually and unlocked it with a twist of his hand on the key. Upon opening the door, Yulo noticed a single man standing out there finishing off his plea. It was difficult to tell how old the man was just by looking at him, but Yulo assumed that he was roughly the same age as himself. "Can I help you? Mr..." his voice trailed off as he attempted to learn the man's name. Perhaps he was a friend of Masuyo's? Something was for sure though. He couldn't have been a member of the Kekkai family. His hair... it was jet black.

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[Messatsu!]

Finally, the second Kekkai managed to acknowledge and wholly notice the presence of Masuyo and Yulo, albeit awkwardly. While he hesitated, he finally provided a name which turned out to be Kekkai, Shruin. Masuyo smiled as his inference had been cemented, feeling like he truly accomplished something by coming across yet another member of his once scattered family. He smiled at the thought, looking at towards Yulo and then back to Shurin. The Sennin readied himself to question Shurin once more, however, a sudden knock at the door accompanied with a slight jiggling of the doors knob on the opposite side seemingly broke everyone's train of thought. Curiously, yet, naively, Yulo motioned towards the door and seized its handle in attempt to unlock it.

"Wait. . ."

Masuyo said alarmingly as he stepped forward, grabbed for, and seized Yulo's wrist, preventing him from even unlocking the door. He needed to wait and be patient, especially given the tone of voice the person carried as well as their choice of words. Masuyo allowed Yulo to inquire about the mysterious, black-haired man, however, opening the door so soon had been one thing Masuyo would refuse to do.

[Yuu]

The moment I yelled I noticed a reaction from inside the building, the voices inside stopped for a second to go and investigate the noise outside of the building. Several moments later I heard a voice call out from inside of the building asking who I was. Weird, did they not trust me enough to open the door? There had to be some reason behind it, truthfully I would have done the same. Who knows what dangers lurked in these deserts, fortunately for me I was able to avoid any bandits and ninja that were more than likely to attack me on site.

"Eh? My name?" I said loudly while scratching the back of my head. "Yuu Tenzo! I'm just looking for a place to spend the night, this desert is really unforgiving at times." My voice bellowed before letting out a slight chuckle. I wondered who stood behind this door, were they good people, and how many of them were there? I had to be on my toes because if these people were hostile then I'd find myself in a bit of trouble; trouble that I wasn't looking for.

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[Shūrin]

This party was getting crazy! Or...crowded was probably the better word in Shurin's opinion. Luckily their attention shifted away to a newcomer. Perfect. Shurin took this moment to back quickly into his seat at his table. The blank scroll laid out in front of him as well as his notebook.

After Cracking his fingers, the tips of the index and middle of his right hand emanated a light blue glow, and each touch to the paper left a black mark on the sheet. A steady worker...and mildly distracted by his family's presence. He did wonder for a moment who was at the door. Maybe it wasn't a family member...what if we had to kill them?

This then brought his mind to the work before him...maybe he'd work on a destruction seal.

[Hronica]

It seemed his intent had been cut short. One moment, he was about to twist open the door to see who awaited them outside. The next, Masuyo had held his arm back and prevented him from doing so. Yulo wondered what was on Masuyo's mind. Why was he so cautious as to who was outside? Surely there was no possible threat. Perhaps Masuyo needed to lighten up a bit, or perhaps Yulo was missing something. Then it hit him.

Issues of the past always linger within the soul of the person, especially ones of the negative nature. Yulo thought about the destruction of the homeland. No doubt Masuyo was more cautious as to whom he trusted now. Anyone who had witnessed their homeland be destroyed would obviously carry on signs of distraught throughout the rest of their life. Yulo gazed into Masuyo's eyes as he looked toward the door. Within them, tales of the past echoing death and destruction.

"My mistake... Masuyo," Yulo said rather abruptly, shaking his arm away from Masuyo's grasp. He stood back away from the door, allowing Masuyo to have full control of whether the door would remain closed or would open. Tenzo. A word that registered to be the most familiar to him, in comparison to the other words that the unknown man shouted. He had also read about the name, yet could not draw a relationship to it. Was the name also apart of the family history? Yulo wasn't sure. Masuyo on the other hand, definitely.

Bones clicked from the bookworm with the scroll. Yulo looked out with his peripheral vision as Shurin took a seat at the nearby table. In front of him, a scroll that he was busily working on. What could it have been? A sudden glow with his fingers drew Yulo's close attention, as Shurin began to steadily work on the scroll. What was this one up too? So many newly acquainted people were around him now. Just because they shared the same last name as him didn't mean he had to trust them. Trust had to be earned from either parties.

Turning his attention back onto Masuyo and the closed door, Yulo awaited for the next move. What was to happen next, and who was the one that stood outside?

[Messatsu!]

"My mistake. . .Masuyo"

Masuyo locked eyes with Yulo as he apologized about his hastiness. Bearing not even a sliver of anger or resentment towards Yulo, he merely shook his head in a way where he acknowledged that it hadn't been his fault. Granted, the two had entirely different mindsets on who and who not to trust. Masuyo expected very few to understand how he gauges the trust of others or even begins to do so after having his home destroyed and blackmailed by many. Nevertheless, as the man, who claimed himself to be a Tenzo, spoke and requested access to the manor, Masuyo's paranoia only amplified. Having known that even before the war that Tenzo, cousin's of all Kekkai, had never been on good terms only cemented Masuyo's reasons to not let him in.

"A Tenzo you say? I must let you know that this manor is specifically for Kekkai, Tenzo's cousin. Your cousin. Knowing this, I can't just let you in given our history."

He paused.

"Give me a reason to trust you, and I mean a real reason. Even though you're an extension of our family, Tenzo haven't been the most trust worthy bunch."

[Yuu]

They had me waiting outside of the door for a while before I got another response. When I registered the words through my ear and into my mind I was shocked; some of my family still lived on after the other "Yuu" destroyed the entire village? The thought hadn't come to my mind, I must have been oblivious to the fact that others survived—I for instance survived as well.

One thing that had me cracking up inside was the fact that he called us traitors, the same "us" who were betrayed by one of the kekkai leaders. "You need a reason to trust me? What right do you have to say such a thing when your part of the family are the ones that betrayed us! The same reason why this hate between our two families exists—ALL BECAUSE OF YOUR FAMILY!" I bellowed my voice roaring throughout the entire vicinity.

"But..." I calmed down a bit, realizing the entire situation and carefully processing what was currently going on. "I do not come to harm you or any other existing family... I don't blame you nor any other Kekkai that may be alive for what happened." I paused drawing in some air before speaking again. "The one and only reason that I can give you for trusting me is well—that we're family" I cooed, before going silent once again. Everything that I had to say was said, and if this didn't allow me to see my brethren once more then I guess it was time for me to depart these horrid sands.

[Shūrin]

The heat from the yelling is what brought Shurin from his seat for a moment. It's what brought him to come near the door as well, with his two kinsmen, to listen to the forsaken one at the gates. To hear the anger in his voice and to feel the passion in the words against the kekkai was shocking, and even frightening in someways.

It was ill will wrapped in revenge, and the shift to the soft tone only added to Shurin's suspicions. Tenzo...

"I don't think we should open it." It would three against one, he hoped, so there shouldn't be anything to fear...but he named no names, made his vendetta clear to be against no single person, so that must mean that the emotion -had- to stem to the rest of the family, right?

Even if it didn't, and there was a chance that this Tenzo actually didn't hate them, and wasn't just here to gain entry and then self destruct, then there was no point to this being the family home. Shurin decided to go with that.

"I mean...Tenzo's are family, but he shouldn't be here. I mean...like, here, as in where we sleep and relax. No one not kekkai should be here." He voiced his opinion in a half whisper; he didn't actually mind if the Tenzo heard his reasoning, it was sound enough he was sure, but something about the situation itself made him uneasy enough to not even want to speak outloud.

Or it's just a weird start to his morning.

"Let me know what you decide though..." He decided to get himself a bowl of cereal before getting too into his day, however. Two scoops of raisins up in the bitch.

[Hronica]

❀ THE REUNION

Cousins. That's who the Tenzo were. Yulo knew that he recognised the name somewhere, yet it was only until Masuyo revealed who they were that he had realised. Yulo wondered whether the Tenzo also aimed for the reformation of the Hidden Rain. What was the man doing out here? Were the Tenzo scattered across the ninja world like the Kekkai were? More questions filled his mind. Yet even more of them would remain unanswered, for now.

Yulo listened intently on the words of the man outside. He spoke of betrayal, however from a different stance to Masuyo. The idea that the Kekkai family were the true traitors was brought up. Whether Yulo could believe it or not was an entirely different story. Was this man simply talking out of his ass in an attempt to gain access inside, or was there simply a deeper story that Yulo had not yet discovered yet. Nonetheless, Masuyo seemed concerned.

Yulo then proceeded to turn his head to the bookworm that was now engaging into the conversation, juxtaposing his previous persona of remaining quiet and attempting to avoid chat. He was right. This was the Kekkai family manor. Yet, the Tenzo were technically also family. Yulo decided not to make any decisions on behalf of the pair of them. After all, Masuyo seemed to be a lot older and stronger than he was. He also didn't want to get on anybody's bad side.

"Do whatever you feel is right, Masuyo," Yulo mumbled quietly to the one that stood at the door. He himself wasn't too phased by the presence of the Tenzo at their door. Yulo wasn't in the Hidden Rain at the time of its destruction, and was already fighting under a new banner: the Sand. Nevertheless, the people with him were his family. If they felt uncomfortable with the presence of the Tenzo here, then it would rub off on him.

He also wanted time to bond with Masuyo, perhaps learn a few things about his past. He didn't know either of the two that were with him in the room. They called each other 'family', but they weren't that at the moment. They were simply strangers to one another. The only reason as to why they possibly had not gone for each others throats was because they did indeed bear the same last name. Yulo wondered what meeting Masuyo would have been like if his last name was something different.

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[Messatsu!]

Facing the cold, iron door, Masuyo intently listened to the words that pierced through the door one by one like unstoppable drills. Conflicted, an expression of sadness and doubt sprawled across his face as he sighed heavily. For majority of his life he and the remaining Kekkai always seemed to have paid for Yokai's disgraceful in full. Granted, Yokai killed his older brother after having surrendered, however, Masuyo failed to understand why the Tenzo incessantly held it against them as if it'd been the current generations fault. And while his following words appeared to have promoted a sense of peace, his former statement held a substantial amount of weight to it in comparison to the latter. Masuyo wanted to let him in, he really did, yet, part of him opted to not take the risk.

And then the quiet one spoke up.

Reflexively looking back over his shoulder, he clearly heard and heeded Shurin's straightforward expression to not allow the Tenzo in whatsoever. As he finished, Masuyo looked back to the door and spoke to everyone, even the black haired Tenzo that stood outside wanting to gain access to the manor.

". . .I've thought of a way to resolve this, but, it will require all of us to momentarily relocate to Mizu no Kuni as its safer there. Lets just say I tipped off a village that will be attacking this village with very powerful shinobi against my own will.

That said, I truthfully came here to warn you. I don't expect you all to trust me so readily, but believe me, its the truth. So, will you all follow me?"

[Yuu]

"As long as I find out some answers..." I scoffed.

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[Shūrin]

Shurin came back with his bowl just as Masuyo began to speak, and was momentarily stunned by his words. He had betrayed, albeit against his will, their host village? Shurin spooned himself some oats.

"Hmm...mmm," Delicious. Shurin unfortunately had to now think about moving. And also the possibility of his family member being a target for any assassins for betraying the Sand. A thought crossed his mind that drew his eyes to Yulo's shoulder. What would he have to say about this?

"I'm sorry," Shurin apologized directly to him. "I imagine that's not easy to hear." Actually, Shurin Imagined that his Kekkai clansman would be staying here to defend his new home, unlike the last one. The young sealist on the other hand wouldn't be sticking around in sand; Ame took priority.

"I'll go." He said to Masuyo before helping himself to another spoonful.

[Hronica]

Yulo could easily see the confliction within Masuyo from just his facial expression. The door remained shut, however. After a few moments of pause, the troubled Masuyo began to announce something to the room. The Hidden Sand was in danger? Yulo grew anxious as to what Masuyo spoke of. Was his home, and his life, really at threat? Word around the village was that the Kazekage himself had simply vanished from the face of the earth. Was the Kazekage aware of something?

It wasn't hard to piece together the puzzle. Yulo knew what he had to do. He had to follow Masuyo and the rest of his clan to the Land of Water. He was hesitant to leaving the Hidden Sand Village though. Yulo did cherish the village of the Hidden Sand, however felt as if right now they were too weak to withstand the attack Masuyo spoke of. The village would never die if people still believed in the act of rebirth, like those before him who would never let the Rain die.

Shurin spoke first in response to Masuyo. Yulo could feel his eyes peer toward the Hidden Sand metallic forehead protector on his left shoulder. It was true, Yulo was different to the other Kekkai members in this room. They all wanted to see the Hidden Rain return to the world, but Yulo wasn't sure what he wanted. Was he to follow his fellow brothers in their cause, or was he to remain in the Sand and live his life as an outcast of his family?

It was too difficult to decide at this period. As for his answer, he would go with the others to the Land of Water. His experiences acquired with his fellow clansmen would mould his mind for his future decisions. If things went well and Yulo felt as if he finally belonged, he would abandon the Hidden Sand and return to his true home. He turned his gaze directly back to Masuyo and projected a response to him. "I'll stand with you Masuyo, for now."

Exit with Gene.

[/justify]

[Messatsu!]

While it pained Masuyo to sell out his new -although temporary- home, Sunagakure's well-being -in terms of importance- couldn't have possibly superceded Amegakure nor the Kekkai family as far as Masuyo had been concerned. Nevertheless, as the trio listened and heeded Masuyo's solution turned confession, he couldn't have helped but feel like they still misunderstood his plan and the reasoning behind his choices despite openly agreeing with him. His hand remained wrapped around the door's knob, even as the time to think came to an end, evident by the fact that his free hand reached up to the doors lock and turned it sidewards. Regretfully, he looked back towards Yulo and Shurin, saying nothing more than two, inviting words.

"Follow me. . ."

He said in tandem as his head turned back towards the turn and pulled it open. Sunny outside, the light escorted Yuu's shadow into the manor's entrance as he stood there, looking over the Kekkai's opposite. Masuyo smiled at Yuu, and with a quick wave of his hand signaling the three to follow, Masuyo headed towards Sunagakure gates with a new location fresh on his mind.

"I feel like me leaving you all in the shadows about the major details prevents me establishing and gaining a level of trust from you three. . .

But please, for now, just trust me and I promise to explain everything in full once we safely reach Mizu no Kuni. "

[/Exit]

[Yuu]

"Lets get on with it then." I said leaving with the group and following them from behind. I didn't trust them enough to stay behind me, it's not that I still held a grudge but what could I do at this point? If they all jumped on me while I wasn't looking I'd be in trouble. It looked like the both of us were looking for truth...

[EXIT]

my bad short post

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